Police: Drunk Limo Driver Repeatedly Spit At Cops

Springfield police say Carlos  A. Grandayanayaco spent the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 25 first mowing down traffic signs and streetlights, then fighting with and spitting at the cops who stopped him.

Reportedly, the 23-year-old Newark resident and car service limo driver attempted to steer a Lincoln Town car on to Rte. 22 from Hillside Ave. at 1:30 a.m. Police say he didn't make it on to the road, but instead drove over the median island on Route 22 without breaking, clearing a traffic sign and sideswiping a telephone pole before coming to stop when he hit a second telephone pole.

Springfield Police Sergeant Michael McNany reportedly witnessed the single-car accident. Grandayanayaco, who was determined to be drunk, was not injured in the accident and reportedly struggled with Officer Keith Christopher when Christopher handcuffed him.

And that, police say, is when the spitting started.

According to Springfield report, Grandayanayaco directed a veritable tidal wave of saliva at cops from the time he was arrested up through to his detention at police headquarters. Reportedly, the spitting and what police termed "violently combative" actions were severe enough to warrant physically restraining Grandayanayaco not only with handcuffs, but also with a surgical mask to prevent him from spitting.

The report says he spit so much before the mask was placed on his face that police had to engage in "bio-hazard type cleaning" of police equipment. For his alleged spit and struggle, Grandayanayaco was charged with Aggravated Assault upon Law Enforcement Officer (a fourth degree felony). Other charges against him include DWI, Refusal to Submit to a Breath Test and Reckless Driving

His bail was set at $10,000. Police say that due to his demeanor, they requested that the Union County Sheriff's Dept. use their specialized prisoner transport vans to bring Grandayanayaco to the Union County Jail in Elizabeth, NJ.